Part 1: Asking God {Lessons from Go Fish}

Recently, Go Fish has joined the repertoire of things we play at our house.

She and I had only played with 2 players but this time she invited her little brother to play. He sat down, eager to participate, clumsily holding his cards, and ready to follow the rules explained to him. He successfully matched what he held in his hand and waited for his turn. 

"Do you have a lobster?" she asked. Since it was our first time with three players, I pointed out that since there are three of us, she must direct her question to a specific player. Simply throwing the question out there into the middle of the game won’t get what she’s looking for.  

It comes to his turn. He boldly declares, "I have a shawk!" 

I couldn’t help but giggle. "That's great buddy," I said.

He said it again, this time with more gumption. “I haaaave a shawk!”

He was not sure why nothing was happening. She giggled too. He still received no response to his statement.

I leaned over to let him in on a little secret. "You have to ask buddy. Otherwise you won't get anything." 

"Oh, sowwy! Mommy, do you have a shawk?" 

His big brown eyes lit up as I passed him the exact card he needed. 

It’s a simple game with simple rules. It begins with asking for what you need.

I felt like God was reminding me: Ask and you will receive.

Asking can be uncomfortable for many reasons.

We don’t want to be a burden. We’re used to having to do it ourselves. We’ve been hurt by past answers. We are afraid of hearing no.

So, instead of asking, we talk. We worry. We compartmentalize. We deliberate. We stuff. We escape. We distract. We fear. We reason. We plan. We discuss. We ignore. We avoid. We google. We read.

We declare that "we have a shawk" but never ask for what we need. 

All the while we forget to ask the One who has exactly what we need.

He has salvation. He has healing. He has forgiveness. He has wisdom. He has discernment. He has strength. He has courage. He has understanding. He has the truth. He is Truth that sets us free. He has perspective. He has the next step. He has purpose. He has a plan. He has the provision. He has life overflowing. He has peace. He has love. He has contentment.

And He tells us to ask.

A couple days later, they were teaching a friend how to play. I laughed as my little man had a peek at his friend’s cards before saying in a loud whisper, “Aawon, ask me fo’ a dolphin!” He knew what he held in his hand was exactly what his friend needed so he did not hesitate to let him know.

Today, God has exactly what you need. He’s holding it in his hand and waiting for you to ask Him.

So, if you’re tired, exhausted, stuck, afraid, lost, complacent, overwhelmed, distracted, deceived, weary, stressed, worried, broken, hurt, or something else, ask Him.

“Keep asking and it will be given to you. Keep searching and you will find it. Keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 HCSB)